Lumen Winter 2015 - Flipbook - Page 27
Revealing a skeleton’s history by
cleaning its teeth
Scholarship recipient Andrew Farrer shows his
appreciation for the scholarship he has received.
Dear Mrs. Denholm,
My name is Andrew Farrer and I am writing to you as the 2014 recipient of the L.F. and D.
Denholm scholarship. I wanted to thank you for your generous donation to the University
in memory of your late husband, and to explain my research project and how the funds aree
supporting my studies.
I clean the teeth of skeletons, uncovering new insights into personal and human histories.
Using the preserved DNA from microorganisms that lived in the mouths of our ancestors, I
reveal information about that person’s life history. The speciÞc pattern of bacteria present
reveals previously unknown information about that individual’s environment and lifestyle..
This research is a unique way of learning about people’s lives.
At the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, I use dental calculus (a hardened form of
ion.
dental plaque) from archaeological specimens to retrieve this microbial information.
Calculus forms from the bacterial layers that grow on our teeth, and provides one of
the only sources of ancient DNA representing the human bacterial community.
The methods to recover such DNA have only become available in recent years,
meaning my work and the University are on the leading edge of this research.
SpeciÞcally, my research looks for patterns within the bacterial community
that differ between people of different classes, professions, and religions. I will
also be exploring how these differences are maintained or change through time.
As a result, I hope to be able to understand the impacts of all kinds of cultural
an
changes, such as wars, epidemics, and trade, exploring an unknown layer of human
history for the Þrst time. Insights will include information on the diets, diseases and
ng
migration of the people of past societies. The groundwork will also be laid for using
ted to
ancient, bacterial DNA as an archaeological tool while providing information related
modern medical research of the bacterial community.
The funds you have generously provided will help support a visit to the Museum of
London, UK to obtain samples from over 150 medieval and post-medieval (late 1100s to
the late 1800s) individuals. The museum has one of the world’s most extensive collections
of human remains from a single city, each with detailed information from a large range of
previous archaeological analyses. Consequently, the Museum of London’s collection removes
the impacts of geography on the bacterial community while allowing detailed exploration of
cultural inßuences within the city across a large period.
Top: PhD candidate
Andrew Farrer
Above: Museum of
London: NRF88 1303.
Jaw bone with a tooth
(molar) with calculus.
The 36 - 45-year-old
male lived in the early
1200s (medieval
period, pre-Black
Death) in London.
I hope this letter Þnds you well and thank you again for your support.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew G. Farrer
In 2015 over 100 students like Andrew are being supported by philanthropic
scholarships. To support students like Andrew visit adelaide.edu.au/give
|e University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 25
